


The Bruce Banner Is Afraid of Commitment Club (Number of Members- 2)

by Rozilla



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), F/M, Female Friendship, Female-Centric, How's THIS for a post credit scene?!, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-05-07
Packaged: 2018-03-29 11:49:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3895267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rozilla/pseuds/Rozilla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha decides to try Betty Ross for answers. She didn't expect pot-pie and sympathy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bruce Banner Is Afraid of Commitment Club (Number of Members- 2)

**Author's Note:**

> Me and Maybug were having a discussion re. Age of Ultron and how Betty is often left out of discussions about the Hulk, so we talked about what would happen if they actually met up... and now I've written it. You're welcome.

Dr Ross' address was not difficult to find, though Natasha called ahead, asking if she could come over for a talk. To her amazement, not only did Ross agree, she had made dinner. It would be nice to see someone else for a change... maybe even talk about what happened, finally, to someone who _understood_.

She knew Betty Ross by reputation, as an outspoken and fiercely principled scientist, who had taken on her bullying father many a time and now had cut all ties with him completely. She had to admit, even she would not expect that of the quiet, composed woman with light eyes and dark hair who came to the door. She looked far too demure to have taken care of the Hulk so often... but Natasha knew plenty of 'quiet' women and, in her experience, they were the ones you should keep an eye on. She smiled nervously when she answered the door, but Betty simply held out a hand 'Agent Romanov?'

'Call me Natasha,' she replied, shaking her hand 'um... this is... difficult-'

'He's gone again isn't he?' Betty whispered.

'Again?' Natasha smiled a little 'He does this a lot?'

Betty took a deep breath and huffed out a laugh 'I ought to get a punch card or something.'

'Yeah... true,' Natasha liked her already.

'Wanna come in? Leonard's made some pot pie,' Betty showed her in and Natasha hung up her jacket.

'Leonard?'

'My boyfriend...' Betty waved at some pictures on the wall of her with another man 'he does most of the cooking, since I'm mostly out at the lab till gone six. He's at a conference in Ohio, was supposed to be back yesterday, but a whole bunch of flights were grounded because of... hah- Avengers Activity?'

'Guilty!' Natasha chuckled.

'Why a fight in Eastern Europe should affect planes in the States is beyond me, but what do I know?'

The table was laid and everything, along with a couple of glasses of iced tea.

'You shouldn't have...'

'It's fine,' Betty sat down with her 'I heard what happened, trust me, if anyone needs pot pie and sympathy, it's you.'

'Knew you'd understand.'

'Don't I just?'

They ate in comparative silence and, Natasha had to admit, it was good. Really good. She occasionally cast glances in Betty's direction, watching her occasionally check her phone at the table or sometimes just stare off into the distance.

Spy habits die hard and some little niggle in Natasha's gut was telling her something.

'Um,' Natasha began.

'You're wondering if he was here?' Betty's answer caught Natasha off guard, which was really saying something.

'I was. Sorry.'

Betty pursed her lips, took a sip of her drink and laid it down carefully 'Don't be sorry. I'm used to this, Bruce has been on the run, on and off, for nearly a decade. Staying at the Tower for two and half years is a _record_.'

'He was skittish as hell,' Natasha admitted.

'Doesn't surprise me,' Betty reached over to take her hand 'I'm usually the first person they go to for answers, even though we haven't been together in... eight years? Nine?'

'But you helped him,' Natasha pointed out 'gave him information and tried to find a cure.'

'I did,' Betty nodded 'true.'

'So the authorities, SHIELD, suspected you knew his whereabouts?'

'Oh they knew that I knew, but I wasn't going to tell them squat. Even if I did tell them, he'd be gone before they got a chance to investigate properly... until you were in the picture.'

'We kept our distance,' Natasha explained 'we didn't want to set him off.'

'You make him sound like an unexploded bomb.'

'He might as well have been back then,' Natasha looked at her hand, unable to meet Betty's gaze 'we didn't know how much he'd progressed.'

'I've seen him,' Betty smiled 'I am proud of him. I know I have no business to be..'

'Yeah you do,' Natasha looked at her 'you have every right to be proud.'

'Well, I suppose I ought to take some credit.'

'But... you didn't answer my question. Was he here?'

Betty held her eye and said 'No, he wasn't here.'

Natasha bit her tongue before she asked again. Even if Betty was lying, perhaps... perhaps it would be better to let him be for a while. No matter how much that hurt her to admit.

'He's a clever guy,' Betty mused 'he makes the guy and girls at MENSA look like kinder-gardeners, he's a star in so many disciplines... but he's also the biggest, dumbest idiot ever.'

Natasha laugh barked out of her against her will 'Seriously?'

'Seriously,' Betty picked up the empty dishes 'he has done this whole 'Oh I'm dangerous! You need protecting! I hurt the ones I love!' bullshit for years and it's pretty old now. I'm beginning to think it's a cover for serious commitment issues.'

They both had a laugh at that.

'But... you were hurt right?' Natasha asked.

'Yeah,' Betty shrugged 'I was, in the immediate aftermath of the accident, but that wasn't his fault. Even when the Hulk was beyond his control... he never hurt me. He liked me.'

Natasha felt only the merest, tiniest pang of jealousy and it was quickly snuffed.

'He did, I seriously thought about calling you in.'

'But you didn't.'

Natasha found the bluntness of her tone a little accusatory 'No.'

'Why? No one would ever tell me.'

'Honestly?' Natasha decided honesty was the best approach. Betty was not to be trifled with 'It's because we thought _he_ would think we took you hostage or something- or if you did contact him out of the blue and ask to meet it'd look suspicious.'

Betty nodded, slowly 'That... makes sense.'

'We should have tried,' Natasha found herself saying 'we should've...'

The other woman motioned for her to come to the living room 'I think there's a little more to this than tracking him for the Avengers or SHIELD or whatever's in charge.'

'We should really hire you,' Natasha laughed.

'No thanks, I like my job,' Betty sat with her on the couch 'besides, I don't trust Tony Stark one bit, especially now.' 

'To be fair, he's pretty much out of it.'

'He said that before.'

'Well... maybe he means it this time.'

'You'd know better than me,' Betty sank back in the cushion 'but did... you and Bruce...'

Natasha had always prided herself in keeping a straight face. Perhaps it was  _too_ straight this time. 

'I... there was... something there. Sort of.'

'Sort of?'

'It was... doomed. Probably. Just a silly idea I had.'

'We've all had those,' Betty said, sadly 'I had them worse than anyone. We nearly realised them to.'

They sat. Silently, until Betty reached into a drawer under the coffee table and pulled out a little green box carved from wood.

'Leonard's not the jealous type, but I didn't want to put these up around the house... didn't want to throw them out either.'

She opened it and passed them over 'They're from before the accident.'

Inside the box were photographs, over two dozen, of Betty... and Bruce. He was so young, so unlined and smiling- some he was dressed up for Halloween, at Thanksgiving, picnics, in the lab-

'Hey, isn't that Jane Foster?' Natasha looked at one picture 'And that's Helen Cho!'

'Yeah, we used to hang out at Culver,' Betty smiled at the picture of her, Helen, Jane and Bruce at a inter-department Charity Quiz 'we had a rivalry going, we used to do this stupid Jeopardy thing every year to raise money for our Student Help fund.'

'God...' 

'We whooped the Astrophysics butt by the way, but there were no hard feelings...'

'Do all scientists know each other?'

'If you all went to Culver, yeah, it's kinda like the Mafia. You never really leave. I still email Jane from time to time. She's pretty happy. Misses Thor though.'

'He's gone back to Asgard for the time being, says he'll be back at some point,' Natasha handed the picture back 'he and Jane are... disgustingly in love. He won't stay away long.'

'I know,' Betty rolled her eyes 'I was at that get together for New Years, he had his hand on her ass the whole night.'

'Even when they were separated, he was looking at her like she was made of rainbows and unicorn farts. Makes you sick right?'

They both sat in contemplation.

'A little jealous of them?' Betty asked, innocently.

'Only a little,' Natasha sighed 'mostly of  _them_ rather than him or her, though he's pretty easy on the eye.'

'She's done a few lectures at Culver, showing us her findings from that hoo-ha in London and what she knows about Asgard, but she's all over the place now and-'

'Up for a Nobel Prize,' they ended the sentence in unison.

'God, don't I know it, Thor mentions it whenever he can.'

They found themselves falling silent again. It would come back to the man they had in common, they knew it would.

'Don't blame yourself,' Betty almost whispered 'he should know a good thing when he sees it, but he's... trying to do the right thing and often just... fails.'

Natasha nodded, woodenly 'I know.'

'It took me years, but I feel... less than I did back then, if that makes sense? Leonard helps, he's such a good catch,' she gathered up the photos and put them lovingly away 'but I'd be lying if I still don't ache for those times. What could have been. It might never go away.'

'Yeah...' Natasha did not intend to be the one  _being_ comforted 'I... probably should go soon. I'm kind of on the clock.'

'If you're sure,' Betty held her shoulder 'and you are always welcome here if you need a space.'

'Thanks... I really appreciate it.'

'Give me some warning though, my boyfriend's a psychologist and he will chew your  _ear_ off about therapy if you're not careful.'

'Hmm... maybe a therapist isn't such a bad idea.'

'If you want,' Betty reached over to hug her 'and don't give up hope. He'll turn up, he's hard to miss.'

They hugged and Natasha drew in the smell of her hair and how warm and soft she was 'Thank you.'

'Don't mention it,' they pulled away 'I still think we should form a club.'

'Yeah, the 'Bruce Banner Is Afraid of Commitment Club,' she laughed 'we can have badges and everything.'

'Or Frequent Flyer Miles for every time he disappears with that sad look on Hulk's face.'

'We can write a theme song.'

'Print t-shirts.'

They held hands and were both fighting tears 'What a jerk.'

'Why do we like him again?'

They looked at each other finally, taking deep, sighing breaths 'Cause we're the bigger idiots?' Betty suggested.

'Damn straight,' Natasha agreed 'well, I am.'

'If you are then I am,' she gripped her hand 'let's be idiots together okay?'

Natasha left, heading for her motorcycle and checking in with Steve.

'No go, he's not here,' she said, mounting up.

'You should stop torturing yourself Tash,' his voice came in tinny over the comms 'if he wants to be found, he will.'

'That's rich coming from you Rogers,' Natasha pointed out 'what about Bucky?'

'Burn,' Sam's voice interjected 'she got you there Cap.'

'Fine,' Steve admitted 'but my point still stands- you need to come back. We'll get the drinks in.'

'Good idea,' Natasha put her helmet on 'see you at the site?'

'See ya there.'

 

Betty waited until the bike was long out of sight, closed the door and walked back to her kitchen and set out another piece of pie.

'You're surprisingly good at hiding,' she said, to the room at large, as footsteps came silently up from her cellar.

'Surprisingly?' Bruce sounded hurt 'I've been doing it a while.'

'True,' she took his hand 'when're you going to stop?'

'Eventually.'

She leaned up to kiss him on a stubbly cheek 'You find the care package?'

'Yeah,' he held up the duffle bag for her to see, then put it down and looked into her eyes 'I'll be gone by tomorrow.'

'Surprising.'

He leaned his forehead on her's and his warm breath tickled her nose 'I'm glad to see you're happy.' 

'I am,' she touched his chin and swallowed 'you?'

'I will be.'

'If only for tonight.'


End file.
